Saturday, July 7, 2012

Whaddya mean, "religious" includes Muslims?

Conservative pet Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana, has put in place a school voucher program that will let public funds go to any schools the parents choose. Including evangelical Christian madrassas with little to no educational structure. From the Washington Monthly:

Now “leaving it up to the parents” may sound good to some conservatives who view public schools as indoctrination centers for secular-socialism. But what if they choose fundamentalist Bible academies for their kids on religious rather than educational grounds? Should other taxpayers have to support that choice?

The more the details come out about this fiasco in Louisiana, the more it becomes obvious the whole idea is to abolish any previously recognized concept of public education and just shovel dollars to the ground troops of the Christian Right. Last-minute efforts to cover up the scheme by hasty “vetting” of schools to make sure there are desks and text-books and teachers and that they are not gouging the state with suddenly high tuition rates aren’t enough to change that reality.

A Republican state representative in Louisiana now says she was confused when she enthusiastically supported Gov. Bobby Jindal’s voucher bill to fund private schools.... "Rep. Valarie Hodges, R-Watson, says she had no idea that Gov. Bobby Jindal’s overhaul of the state’s educational system might mean taxpayer support of Muslim schools …Hodges mistakenly assumed that 'religious' meant 'Christian.'"

So down plunges the Pelican State into the political and constitutional thicket of how to shovel money to conservative evangelical schools without looking too closely at what they are teaching, while at the same time keeping away schools that conservative evangelicals hate and fear. Having implicitly embraced the idea that not only Muslims, but liberal Protestant Christians like Barack Obama, aren’t actually religious, Republicans can’t complain too much when “the base” can’t understand why such distinctions can’t be written into the law.

It's that whole problem with "religious freedom" that the conservatives don't quite understand. Religious freedom is NOT conservative Christian theocracy, regardless of the efforts of Bobby Jindal or the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Here is a little something from a recent post that some folks just "need to read?"

"Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting "Jesus Christ," so that it would read "A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;" the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination. "

-Thomas Jefferson, Autobiography, in reference to the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom

While this will catch some attention it will be lost on those who figure "God is on our side"

Welcome

We are the friends of Father Jake. Thiscommunity is largely (though not exclusively) liberal Episcopalian/ Anglican, but those of any faith, or none, are equally welcome. Check out the blogroll of friends for diverse views, news items, humor, and commentary.

About comments Unfortunately, due to spam and trolls, we no longer allow anonymous comments and moderation applies to older posts. The hosts will remove any posts they deem offensive or inappropriate.